The root of Ponte Vedra baseball’s success isn’t a mystery to anybody. After a 4-1 win over Gulf Breeze in the Class 5A regional finals, it only got confirmed once more.

For the third time in program history, the Sharks (19-11) advanced to the state semifinals. They finished as the Class 5A runner-up in 2012, and with basically the same formula of dominant pitching, Ponte Vedra still has a chance to match — or better — that mark.

“We continue to work. It starts in junior varsity with our pitching development; we throw four kids per game no matter what,” Ponte Vedra coach Tom Stanton said. “Sometimes we’ll tell them that one inning all they’ll throw is changeups so they can develop.”

Against the Dolphins (12-13), starting pitcher Evan Heffner struggled locating his pitches in the early goings. Gulf Breeze scored the game’s first run in the second inning when Andy Creech took home from third when miscommunication on a pop fly to the mound wound up falling to the turf. Though the lefty Heffner managed to keep batters honest with a lively fastball and a backdoor curveball that broke the strike zone occasionally, he walked three batters in the following frame, forcing Stanton to call upon junior Jackson Johnson to pitch in relief.

And just as the case has been for Ponte Vedra in the past, Johnson showed that there were more arms to be called upon when needed.

“Coach always has me up and ready to go whenever I need to,” Johnson said. “Mentally, I was ready for this. I knew I needed to be in there for a while tonight, so my focus was to just pound the strike zone.”

He pitched three innings in the win (3-0), striking out five batters and not allowing another run. The Sharks wound up taking the lead in the bottom of the third inning after Ryan Teifer tied the game on a wild throw to first base and Max Miller drove in Erik Smith on a sacrifice fly.

Jordan McKenna would widen the lead on a pair of RBI singles once in the fourth and again in the sixth.

Though Gulf Breeze entered their district tournament with a losing record and came into Friday’s game at .500, they proved that a hot streak at the right time meant more than any regular season success.

Pitcher Brandon Aydelott retired Sharks batters in order for the first two innings, only faltering late in the game after being worn down by timely Ponte Vedra hits.

“We were in the same position as (Gulf Breeze) when we first went to the final four, so I know how dangerous a team like that can be,” Stanton said. “Everybody earns their way to this spot. Once you believe in yourself, it doesn’t matter what you did in the past.”

To secure the game, Stanton called upon one of his stars among a constellation of a bullpen in Matt Deegan. He was pulled early in the regional quarterfinal after feeling a pain in his shoulder and wasn’t scheduled to start in the regional final, though Deegan lobbied to do so.

Instead, he saved his work for the final 1.1 innings of the game to close out the win. Johnson hadn’t slowed his pace, putting Gulf Breeze down to two outs in the sixth with two batters on, but when the resources are there, Stanton called upon Deegan to seal the deal.

“That’s what I love about this team; it’s a true team,” Johnson said. “We all have a part in us winning games, it’s not just a few guys.”

The totality of this year’s Ponte Vedra team may be its best asset. With Deegan and Byron Yelverton, the Sharks are never too far away from throwing out one of the area’s best pitchers. They finished the season with a team ERA of 2.39 after completing one of the toughest schedules in the state, all to prepare for this point in the season.

Now what once was an upstart is becoming a bona fide powerhouse, all thanks to the arms that brought them back with a chance to win it all.

“Last year was better than the first year we (made the final four), but I think the depth of our team is the best now,” Deegan said. “Our defense, hitting and pitching are a lot better, and I think we have a good shot at the state title.”

Ponte Vedra will face Tampa Jesuit in the state semifinals on May 22 in Fort Myers. The last postseason matchup between the two teams came in the 2010 semifinals as the Sharks were defeated 19-0 in their first final four appearance.

Though Deegan thinks this year’s team is more balanced than in years past, his coach knows what the recipe has been: Pitching.

“At this point in the year, you have to be better at what you do than the other team is at what they do,” Stanton said. “There’s no Wing-T offense like in football that can trick somebody. You just have to win your way.”